595 Tasting Notes

I made this again today. First steep for 4 minutes, second steep for 6 minutes. I added Truvia and skim milk to both infusions. Honestly, this was really enjoyable today! It’s smooth and creamy and uber delicious. It still doesn’t really strike me as a chai, but it’s great for what it is. Go for a longer infusion with this one because that definitely makes it tastier. I will thoroughly enjoy the rest. Raising the rating from 78 to 82.

Flavors: Creamy

Preparation

52teas has officially changed their business model! They now offer all their teas in 0.5 oz. non-resealable packages. I think it kind of sucks that these pouches don’t have zippers, but I do like that I can now buy smaller quantities of tea. As Frank said when he released the news, we all have cupboards that are overflowing with too much tea! He’s also charging for shipping now. Each half ounce of tea costs $3.99 plus $2.00 shipping. So in total, we’re getting much less tea at a higher cost. That part bites. I used to pay $9 for 1-2 ounces of tea (usually 2). Now I’m paying $6 for 0.5 ounce of tea. Boo! Well, that’s the price of convenience I guess. Okay, enough about that.

ON TO THETEA!

First note! Woot! The dry leaf aroma is very aromatic and spicy. The brewed tea aroma is still spicy but less so. Hmm, I don’t think I steeped this long enough. While it’s still steaming hot, it’s pretty tasteless. I added some Truvia and once the cup cooled, I got a slightly creamy slightly spicy taste. The flavors are very soft and not what I’d expect from a chai tea at all.

I decided to re-steep the leaves for 5.5 minutes. This cup is similar but maybe a little more flavorful. I added Truvia again, and I am enjoying this cup. It’s good, not amazing. I’m definitely glad I don’t have two ounces of it. Is that too harsh to admit? It’s not incredibly pumpkin-y or spicy for that matter. I think I prefer other vendors’ Pumpkin Chai teas. This is pretty calm in comparison but drinkable. And now my baby is kicking up a storm! Settle down, little one!

The dry leaf aroma is heavenly pumpkin spice. Mmm! I hope it tastes as great as it smells! Well, I lucked out. The flavor is a great representation of the aroma. The spice here is really nice and mellow. It’s not super peppery or gingery. The pumpkin adds a creaminess that balances everything out. Smooth. That’s the word I was searching for. This is a smooth tea. There’s no bitterness or astringency. I’m drinking this straight, but I think it would pair well with milk and sweetener. Mmm, now this is one I really enjoy!

This is okay. The aroma is very nice but the flavor leaves something to be desired. It’s not bad by any means. It’s just not inspiring. The plum flavorings adds a tartness that pinches the back of my mouth. The cinnamon is very calm and easily overlooked. The base isn’t fresh so it’s neither grassy nor vegetal. It’s that sort of generic, green, bagged tea base that doesn’t contribute a lot of flavor one way or another.

I guess I’m not mad that my husband has already drank more than half of the tin. I asked him what he thought of it and his opinion was aligned with mine. It’s nothing special but it’s drinkable. I think he just likes the ease of dropping a teabag into a cup of microwaved hot water. He’s not one for boiling water on the stove and the somewhat long but relaxing routine of brewing tea. He’s more for instant gratification. I think I may leave the rest of this one to him.

Preparation

I took a sip and immediately said, “Bleh bleh!” This is not good. It’s not horrendous. I’ve definitely had way worse. But I would need to add milk and sweetener to make this drinkable. The base is not something I’d like to drink straight and reminds me of why I stopped drinking low quality bagged teas years ago. I suppose if I didn’t know what I was missing in high quality loose leaf teas, I’d probably think this is just fine. But I do know what I’m missing!

This is a light peppermint tea. I’m not getting any ginger. It’s much less minty than a straight peppermint tea, but the base is sort of invisible (read tasteless/unidentifiable). It’s an ok bagged tea. Definitely drinkable but nothing I’d write home about or re-stock.

Preparation

The brewed tea aroma is Ceylon with a hint of spice. The first flavor to hit my tongue is almond followed quickly by vanilla. This actually isn’t bad at all for an old bagged tea. I’m not getting much in the way of spice or apple; it just tastes like vanilla and almond to me. Since I like those two things, this is a pleasant surprise! It’s not an amazing tea but I definitely think it’s share-worthy.

Flavors: Almond, Vanilla

Preparation

The brewed tea aroma is minty, but the taste is pretty empty. I’m getting something vaguely minty and vaguely tea-esque. But there’s nothing strong about the flavorings here. I read the ingredients and am definitely not getting cinnamon, ginger, pineapple, or rose. There’s nothing relatively peppery either. It doesn’t taste bad; it just doesn’t taste like anything. I’m calling this one a bust.

Hmmm, ok. I really hope they sort out these site issues soon. I feel like it’s been broken forever. I mean, it has been about a month, right? Usually they don’t take that long. Anyway, thanks for responding! I really appreciate it and I didn’t even know you could browse notes that way!

My package doesn’t say “superfine” but it does say organic. So I think this is the right tea to log it under. Here’s hoping this note shows up despite all the recent Steepster server issues.

These leaves are really old, so this doesn’t have as much punch as I’m sure fresher leaves would imbue. But what I can taste is a delicious, delicate green tea. The liquor is so light and clear that if I didn’t know my mug had tea in it, I’d think it was filled with water. The inside of my mug is brown, which makes detecting the liquor color difficult, but I believe it’s a very pale gold.

All in all, this is a refreshing, contemplative tea. It calms the mind and quiets the stream of thoughts. The fact that it’s organic is just icing on the cake. I will make a note to get more of this when it’s time to replenish my dragon well stock. Thanks to Teavivre for the free sample! I’m really enjoying this.

Preparation

Profile

Bio

Entering the sweet blissful world of tea aromas!

Having discovered this website at the end of July 2011, I’m so excited to share my tea adventures with all of you! I grew up with my grandmother serving Twining’s English Breakfast with cream and sugar.

But on a trip to Seattle in 2010, I stumbled into a Chinese teashop and tried my first oolong tea. I was forever changed! I embarked on a startling new love for green and white teas.

With a world of teas to discover, I was inspired to keep a tea journal to record my thoughts and new favorites. Let’s get brewing!

My ratings are completely subjective and 100% my opinion. All ratings are given in relation to each other (ie. teas are rated in the order of my enjoyment of them). Therefore, my ratings will constantly change as I try more teas.

I love swapping!!! If you see something in my cupboard you’d like to try, just send me a message. If you’d like to trade, anything on my shopping list will do or feel free to send something else entirely. I’m willing to try almost anything (although I’m not really a fan of honeybush, red rooibos, pu’erh, Lapsang Souchong, & banana-flavored teas).